Device for preventing collisions between railway-trains.



A. R. ANGUS.

DEVICE FOR PREVENTING COLLISIONS BETWEEN RAILWAY TRAINS.

APPLICATION r1151) APR. 11. 1909.

LWQBW. PatentedJu1y1L1916.

5 SHEETS-SHEET I.

A. R. ANGUS.

DEVICE FOR PREVENTING COLLISIONS BETWEEN RAILWAY TRAINS.

APPLICATION FILED APR. l7. I909.

Patented July 11, 1916,

5 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

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A. R. ANGUS. DEVICE LFQR PREVENTING COLLISIONS BETWEEN RAILWAY TRAI NS,

APPLICATION FILED APR- !7. I909.

Patented July 11, 1916.

5 SHEETS-SHEET 3.

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A. R. ANGUS.

DEVICE FOR PREVENTING COLLISIONS BETWEEN RAILWAY TRAINS.

Pater [ted July 11, 1916.

5 SHEETS-SHEET 4.

APPLICATION FILED APR-17.1909.

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DEVICE FOR PREVENTING COLLISIONS BETWEEN RAILWAY TRAINS.

APPLICATION FILED APR. 11. 1909.

m 90,617 Patented July 11, 1916 5 SHEETS-SHEET 5.

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U. {Q U LL! LL] I Im nfar flrfiwr We 1 4/75 ARTHUR REGINALD ANGUS, 0F SYDNEY, NEW SOUTH WALES, AUSTRALIA.

DEVICE FOR PREVENTING COLLISIONS BETWEEN RAILWAY-TRAINS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented July M, 11916.

Application filed April 17, 1909. Serial No. 490,552.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that l, ARTHUR REGINALD An ons, a subject of the King of Great Britain, residing at Barry street, Neutral Bay, Sydney, in the State of New South lVales and Commonwealth of Australia, solicitor, have invented new and useful Im provements in and Relating to Devices, for Preventing Collisions Between Railway- Trains, of which the following is a specification.

The invention relates to an arrangement for protecting trains against following and meeting trains in which the running train automatically raises members before and behind it by electrical means, and restores them to their normal position on leaving the corresponding portion of the track. The raised members serve for actuating braking or signaling devices arranged on the train. On the train there are arranged three contact plates, of which one cooperates with fixed track members and places a source of current arranged on the train into connection with the electrical operating devices of the movable track members, while the second and third contact plates bring into action a source of current arranged on the train which serves for operating the braking or signaling devices on the passing over of the movable members raised by a following or meeting train or by the train itself.

The invention is illustrated by the accompanying drawings, which represent an example of trainprotecting apparatus according thereto, and consists in the constructions and combinations of parts hereinafter described and particularly defined in the claims hereof.

Figure 1 shows the arrangement of the several track members and the apparatus on the locomotive. Fig. 2 is a diagram illustrating the course of the current between the track and the locomotive. Fig. 3 shows a med track member. Fig. l shows a movable track member and electric motors serving for raising and lowering and for locking the same. Fig. 5 shows the field magnet system of such an electric motor, particularly with reference to the locking and unlocking of the movable track member, the field magnet system used for raising and lowering being similarly constituted. Fig. 6,

which is composed of Figs. 6 6 and 6 shows the connection of'the fixed mem er and so on, which form the ends of successive 7 sections of the track. Between the rails there are provided for the direction of running from A toward G fiXe-d main members 21 and fixed supplementary members 27, and for the direction of running from G toward A corresponding main members 021 and supplementary members 027, which serve as track circuit closers and are shown individually in Fig. 3. All the members 21 and 27 are at the same distance from the left hand line of rails while the members 021 and 027 are at the same distance from the right hand line of rails. Moreover, between the rails there are located the movable main members 28 and and the movable supplementary members 69 for the running direction AG and the corresponding movable main members 028, 070 and supplementary members 069 for the running direction G-A. The distance of the members 28, 70 and 69 from the left hand line of rails is equal to that of the members 028, 070 and 069 from the right hand line of rails and somewhat greater than the distance ofthe fixed members from the corresponding rails. The movable members 28 protect the running, train in front, while the members 7 O serve for protecting it behind. The supplementary members 69 give a supplementary protection in front.

Each fixed member is of the construction shown in Fig. 3. On the insulated base plate 22, which is preferably fastened to a sleeper 20, there is located a standard 23 to which are pivoted two arms 2% which carry on their upper ends rollers 26. Between the fixed standard 23 and the arms 24 there are arranged springs 25 which, whenthe locomotive passes over the corresponding member, press the rollers against the side webs of a U-shaped contact plate 82 fastened to-thelocomotive. The plate 82 is, as shown in Fig. 3, provided with inclined ends 83 in order to produce a gradual deflection of the rollers.

Each of the movable members Fig. 4:) consists of a base plate 2 which supports.

- an electric'motor 30 having an armature 45.

motor 30 there is a second motor 36 the' ()n the end 31 of the armature shaft there iskeyed a-bar 32. To this there is pivoted a pair of arms 33, with rollers 35,which are pressed against the webs of the corresponding contact'plate ofthe locomotive. The base plate 29 canv be fastened. to special sleepers or to those of the track. 7 Above the armature of which carries onione side of its shaft 37 a bar 38' which serves for locking the bar 32 in the vertical position.

. f locomotive carries a battery 80, which j'ma'y be charged by a dynamo drlven from janjaxle of the 'lOCOIIlOtlVG. The positive conducting wire- 81 (Fig. 2)""is connected with the said contact plate 82. and thenegai *tive pole is connected to'earth through the Y framework of the-locomotive;

.flhe' plate'82 cotiperating withithe fixed 'traclr nembers' isinsulated from the frameworkof thelocomotlve' and 1S fastened thereto in such a'manner that when the locomotive. is running backward can be eas lyremoved and' 'placed on the right hand side; Thls is necessary, because the plate 1 would' otherwise, in the case of the running direction AG', act upon the fixed-contacts 021 corresponding to the opposite direction of running;

" B id -the plate. 82 there are" fastened to each locomotive and insulated therefrom two contact plates and 8601- U-shaped cross section, which cooperate wlth thetwo rows of movable track members 28, 70, 69,

7 and 028, 070,069 and are connected by means of a'conductor 87 and one coil 89 of an electro-magnet with one pole of a second battery 88 arranged on the locomotive. The second pole of the battery. 88, which is charged by a dynamo similarly to the bat- V tery 80,: is connected means of a conductor 91 with an electric motori92 and then,

electromagnet,with the framenetf89, 98 is energized its armature 100 closes, bylbridgingthe contacts 90 and 99,

the circuit of the battery and the electromotor 92, so thatit remains closed after the earth connection by means of the corresponding movable'traek member, is broken. The armature 100 is normally maintained out of contact with the contacts 90 and 99 by means of a spring and it can bemoved out of contact'therewith by the locomotive driver by feo hand by means of the lever 101 (Fig. 1).

The armature of the motor .92 carries a radial 'arm'93, .which,'by means of suitable wires, is connected with the whistle 94, the

brake 95, and the steam throttle 96.

, .The lowering of a-raised member takes place in thef0llowing'manner:-As the locomotive (Fig.1) passes over a fixed rod 21 placed on the railway track (Fig. 6) in the block section (3-1) a short distance from the station 'D the plate 82 (Fig. 2) placed underneath the locomotive makes contact with part of the fixed rod 21 (Fig. (3)that is to say, the plate 82 (Fig. 2) underneath the locomotive comes into contact with the rollers 26 of the said fixed rod 21, and tends to press toward one another the pair of radial arms 24; (Fig. 3) of the said fixed rod 21, the springs 25 between the vertical arm 23 of the said fixed rod and the radial arms 24 tending to maintain thepressure of the roll- ,ers 26'on the said plate 82-and the current to the field magnets of the last mentioned rotating rod 28. The path of the current after passing along the last mentioned wire may be followed on referring to Figs. if and 5; the current passes by way of the wire 104; to the terminal 54, thence by a wire 56 (Fig. 5) through field magnets 57 and by a shunt wire 58 through the armature 45, and returns by a wire 59 connected with the terminal (Fig. 4) and thence by a wire to one of the track rails, thence by the wheels and the frame of the locomotive to one terminal of the accumulator 80, the energization of the pair of magnets 57 causing the armature 415 to rotate in an anti-clockwise or a positive .direction so as to raise the radial rod 38 affixed to the axle 37 of the rotating armature relating to the motor 36 clear of the radial rod 32 and radial arms 33 until the radial rod 38 is in a vertical position and presses against the contacts 60, which may be held in position'by a spring. The radial rod 38 bridges the contacts ()0 and the current then flows from the wire 101 by way of a shunt wire through the bridged contacts 60. Each of the contacts 60 being insulated from the motor 36, the current thenfiows along the wire 61 connected to one of the contacts 60 to the terminal 62 on motor 30, thence through a pair of field magnets such as 57 (Fig. 5) and the rotating armature of the motor 30 and returns through terminal 63 and thence by wire 64: back to a rail, thence by the locomotives wheels and frame to one terminal of the accumlator 80, the energization of the field magnets such as 57 causing the armature of the motor 30 to rotate clockwise-that is to say, in a negative direction-and thereby to lower the radial rod 32, with its radial arm 33-, of the said rotating rod 28 until the same rests in a horizontal position upon the stop and further rotation in a negative direction is thus restrained by the stop 65. It should be explained that the armatures and magnets relating to both said motors 30 and 36 as shown in Fig. l are simi lar in construction and operation as shown in Fig. 5-that is to say, both motors 30 and 36 are intended as required to rotate their armatures either in a positive or in a negative direction; the motor 30 and the motor 36 have similar sets of magnets 5'? to rotate their respective armatures in a particular direction and sets of magnets 4:2 to rotate the armatures in the opposite direction; and the arrangement of connections shown in Fig. 5 applies to both motors 80 and 38.

Simultaneously with the lowering of the member located immediately in front of the locomotive there is raised in the following manner a member 28 located at a greater distance in front of the locomotive :-The current flows as above described to the wire 104, then over the wire 105 to the terminal 40 of the motor 30, through the wire 4-8, through one pair of field magnets 42, and simultaneously by means of the wire is and the armature L5 to the conductor 89 and to the terminal 41 and from the latter to the track and to the other pole of the battery. The motor raises the bar 82, which in its vertical position bridges the contacts 46. The current flows now from the wire 105 over the contacts 16, the wire 48, to the terminal 49, and through the motor 36, and returns over the terminal 50, the wire 51, the wire 39, the terminal 41, and, by means of a wire which leads to a rail, to the other pole of the battery. Since the current through the motor 86 passes through the other pair of magnets, the bar 88 is lowered into a horizontal position, in which it locks the movable member. The spring 417 serves for holding the arm in the raised position until it is locked.

When the locomotive passes over a raised member the following circuit is closed by means of the plate 85 or 86 (Fig. 2) from the battery 88 to the magnet 89, the contact 90, the wire 8'? to one of the plates 85 or 86, through the rollers 35, the arms 38 (Fig. at) the bar 32, the spring 4-7, to the base plate 29, from there by means of a wire to a rail of the track and by means of the wheels and the framework of the locomotive to the contact 99 (Fig. 2) through the magnet 98, the wire 97, the field magnets and the armature of the motor 92, and by means of the wire 91 back to the battery 88. The motor rotates and by means of arm 93 blows the whistle 94, applies the brake 95, and actu ates the throttle valve 96 to shut off steam.

When the current flows through the magnets 89 and 98 (Fig. 2) these are energized and. attract the common armature 100, which bridges the contacts 90 and 99. By these means a permanent circuit is closed from the battery 88 through the motor 92, notwithstanding that the contact between the locomotive plate 85 or 86 and the corresponding member was broken immediately after the passing over of the locomotive.

Tn the same way as the members 28, the other movable members are raised and lowered.

The connection of the movable members with the fixed members is as follows :Each of the fixed main members 21 with the eX- ception of the members located at the ends of the track) is connected with four movable main members 28, 70. Thus, for eX- ample, the member 21'at C is connected with the movable member 28 at C, the movable 1nember28 at D, the member between B and C, and the member 70 between A and B and the connection is such that when 21C is being passed over the members 70 between A and B and 28 at C are lowered and the members 70 between B and C and 28 at D are raised. Each of the movable main members 28 or 70 is connected with two fixed main members-for example, the member 28 at D is connected with the member 21 at D. and with the member 21 at C, the connection being such that the member 28 at D is raised when the member 21 at C is being passed over, and'is lowered when the member 21 at D is being passed over. The distance apart of the two nearest movable main members raised ahead of any two approaching locomotives (say the movable main member 281) for the run ning direction A-G and the movable main member 0280 for the running direction G-A) 6) should be suiiicient to per mit two approaching trains, say number one traveling in the direction AG and number two traveling in the direction G'-A, whose locomotives steam has been shut off and brakes applied on passing over those movable main members 28 and 028 respectively to be pulled up or stopped before running a suilicient distance to permit a collisionbetween the said approaching number one train, which by assi'ln'mtion has passed over the said movable main member 28, and the other approaching train number two, which has passed over said movable main member 028. The distance apart of the said members 28 and 028 should be fixed to meet conditions such as the weight of the heaviest train and brake power thereof, the grade of the railway track, and the greatest speed permitted on the particular part of the railway traclr on which the train is at the time traveling. In a similar manner the distance apart of, say, the movable main member 2813 from the movable main member 0281) should be determined, and so on throughout all the railway tracks protected by these improvements. c

In certain circumstances the described safety arrangement in which there is always only onerraised movable member in front of and'behind the train might prove insufiicient; dln order to take these special circumstancesinto account the supplementary members 27"and 69 are arranged. The con-' struction thereof is the same as that of the ma n members. The action, 1s, however,

somewhat different; 'Thus, as is shown in Fig. 6, the fixed supplementary member 27 ati C is connected with-ethe movable supplementary members 69 at D and in such a manner that whenQ'l'C is being passed over,

' 69Dv is loweredgiand' 69E simultaneously raised. The supplementary member 27C is -infront of. the main member 210 in the direction of travel by a small distance, which is-somewhat greater than the length'of, the contact plates carried by the locomotive.

" l Vl1Ql1jtl16 PClllt-.G is" beingpassed over con of the system,'-protected forwardly by two movable members. If necessary, supplementary members can be arranged which similarly protect the train-rearwardly.

" The operation of theinvention as it af- 'fects approaching trains and following "trains on anyv part ofthe' sameprotected railwaytrack as illustrated in Fig. 6 is as vfollows: When oneitraintraveling in the direction -A G has arrived at C and has passed over the fixed. main member 21C and i also; the fixed supplementary member 27, it has raised 1n 'm'anner herembefore mentioned the movable main member 28D and also the movablesupplementary main member 6915 ahead of the loc'omoti've 'and has also raised the movable fmain member V situate between B and C (ithas also lowered the movable main member 7 0 between A and B) so that number three train traveling in the direction G+A will thus be prevented from approaching number one train by two movable members ahead of number one train and a following train, say number two, will be preventedfrom running into said numher one train ahead'of number two tram by only one movable member whichislocated only one section behind number one train.

It will thusbe seen that while trains traveling in opposite directions are protected to the extent of twocmovable members as is desirable, a train is protected from a following'train by only one section which is sufficient for the purpose and consequently only one section is blocked behind the train and not two and. therefore trafiic is not unand as far as practicable provided for. It is to be remarked that the invention is necessarily delayed. Again as number three train traveling in the direction GA arrives at E and passes over the fixed main member 021E and fixed supplementary member 027E it raises behind the locomotive the movable main member 070 situate between E- and F and also raises the movable main member 028D and the movable supplementary member 069C and thus the oncoming train number one is prevented from approaching train number three, and also train, say number four, following behind train number three is prevented from running into train number three in manner hereinbefore indicatedthat is to say, upon contact by any locomotives plate or 86 with any movable member the locomotive is stopped in'the manner hereinbefore mentioned.

The distance apart of each movable member raised behind the position of a locomotive from its relative fixed member (as an illustration take the movable member 70 situate between B and C (Fig. 6),) and its relative fixed member 21C should be deter- 9o mined by conditions such as'weight of train, brake power thereof, grade of railway track, and greatest speed permissible, all such possible conditions being considered intended to be employed chiefly outside the range of the points of the main stations. The connection of the members at the ends of the main track must be altered accordingly. It is further noted that if the arrangement for raising or lowering the members should not operate correctly the train is brought to rest automatically.

If the trains are alwaysrun. only in the same direction on the track the arrangement can be correspondingly simplified.

The movablemembers 28, 69, 70, O28, O69,

070 shown in Fig. 6 have signals indicating their position and numbered 66, 67, 71, 066, O67, 071 respectively. These signals 66, 67, 71, 066, 067, 071 may be placed if desired at any suitable distance ahead of the particular rotatable members to which they relate so as to give a driver of a locomotive timely warning of the position of the rotatable members to which they relate. These signals are operated by railway employees as customary according to the positions of trains, but should a signalman fail to raise a signal when required to guide the driver, a corresponding train would be stopped by the use of these improvements as hereinbefore mentioned and as shown in the drawings herewith.

Various parts in connection with the invention may be arranged otherwise in sundry ways, duplicated, multiplied, varied or omitted without departing from the scope of this invention as indicated or claimed 0 herein: for example, it brakes only are to be applied the connections to the steam throttle may be omitted; again in place of an earth or rail return for a circuit a special metallic return may be used. 7

Having now described the invention, what is claimed as new is 1. In a railway signalin system and in combination, danger indicating means, signal transmitting means, and controlling,

means, all carried by a train, and in each block section both signaling deviccs'located on the track and all adapted when operative to come into contact with said signal transmitting means and thereby to operate said danger indicating means, and also controlling means located on the track and adapted to come into contact with the first mentioned controlling means and to be thereby caused to render operative two of said signaling devices in front of said train and one of said signaling devices in the rear of said train and to render inoperative those of said signaling devices adapted to be similarly rendered operative by said train on contact with said controlling means located on the track in the next preceding block section.

2. in a railway signaling system and in combination, danger indicating means, signal transmitting means, and controlling means, all carried by a train, and in each block section signaling devices located on the track and all adapted when operative to come into contact with said signal transmitting means and thereby to operate said danger indicating means, and also a first controlling contacting device located on the track and adapted to come into contact with said controlling means and to be thereby caused to render operative the nearer one of two of said signaling devices in front of said tnin and one of said signaling de vices in the rear of said train and to render inoperative these or" said signaling devices adapted to be similarly rendered operative by said train on contact with said first controlling contacting device located on the track in the next preceding block section, and a second controlling contacting device located. on the track and adapted to come into contact with said controlling means andto be thereby caused to render operative the further one of said two signaling devices and to render inoperative the one of said signaling devices adapted to be similarly rendered operative by said train on contact with said second controlling contacting device located on the track in the next preceding block section.

3. In a railway signaling system and in combination, danger indicating means, signal transmitting means, and controlling means, all carried by a train, and in each block section both signaling devices located on the track and all adapted when operative to come into contact with said signal transmitting means and thereby to operate said danger indicating means, electrical means for operating said signaling devices, and

also, electrically connected with said electrical means, controlling means located on the track and adapted to come into contact with the first mentioned controlling means and to be thereby caused to complete electrical circuit connections through said electrical means and thereby to render operative two of said signaling devices in front of said train and one of said signaling devices in the rear of said train and to render inoperative those of said signaling devices adapted to be similarly rendered operative by said train on contact with said controlling means located on the track in the next preceding block section.

4. In a railway signaling system and in combination, danger indicating means, signal transmitting means, and controlling means, all carried by a train, and in each block section signaling devices located on the track and all adapted when operative to come into contact with said signal transmitting means and thereby to operate said danger indicating means, electrical means for operating said signaling devices, and also, electrically connected with said electrical means, a first controlling contacting device located on the track and adapted to come into contact with said controlling means and to be thereby caused to complete electrical circuit connections through corresponding ones of said electrical means and thus to render operative the nearer one of two of: said signaling devices in front of said train and one of said signaling devices in the rear of said train and to render inoperative those of said signaling devices adapted to be similarly rendered operative by said train on contact with said first controlling contacting device located on the track in the next preceding block section, and a second controlling contacting device lccated on the track and adapted to come into contact with said controlling means and to be thereby caused to complete electrical circuit connections through other corresponding ones of said electrical means and thus to render operative the further one of said two signaling devices and to render inoperative the one of said signaling devices adapted to be similarly rendered operative by said train on contact with said second controlling contacting device located on the track in the next preceding block section.

5. A railway contacting device comprising two elements adapted to be moved transversely of the track in opposite directions and spring means adapted to tend to restore said elements to normal position during such. movement.

6. A railway rotatable track contact deiSU vice comprising a motor, an arm adapted to *be turned thereby into operative posi- "tion (wherein it is adapted to actuate signaling'means on a train in contact therewith), a second motor, anda detent adapted to be turned by saidsecond motorto main- 'jtain said arm inoperative position.

7. A railway rotatable track contact dev -vice comprising a motor, an arm adapted tobe turned thereby into operative position (wherein it is adapted to actuate signaling means on a train in contact therewith) and I inoperative position, a second motor, a de- I 7 position, and means adapted when said arm tent adapted to be turned by said second motor to maintain said arm in operative is liberated by said detent to'cause current i a to pass through the motor first above mentioned so as to effect the moving of said vas arm into inoperative position.

i Q 8. A railway rotatable track device comprising a motor, an arm adapted to 'be turned thereby erative position, and means adaptedon the movement of 1 said arm into operative positionto cause current to flow through the saidsecond motor and to efi'ectthe movement of said detent into the position wherein it maintains said arm in the operative position.

9. A railway rotatable trackdevice comprising a motor, an arm adapted to be turned thereby into operative position second motor, a detent carried by said sec- (wherein itis adapted to actuate signaling means ona train in contact therewith), a

0nd motor and adapted to be turned to lock said arm in operative position, and spring means adapted to maintain said arm in op- Copies of this patent may be obtained for into {operative position (wherein it is adapted to actuate signalingerative position before the locking of said arm by said detent.

10. A railway rotatable track device comprising arotatable arm and a rotatable detent adapted to lock said arm in operative position (wherein it is adapted to actuate signaling means on a train in contact therewith), separate motors adapted to control said arm and said detent and means adapted to be caused by the turning of said detent from the locking position to cause current to flow through the motor of said arm so as to move said arm into inoperative position, and also to be caused by the moving ofsaid arm into operative position to cause current to flow through the motor controlling said detent so as to effect the movement of said detent into the locking position.

11. A railway rotatable track device comprising a rotatable arm, a rotatable detent adapted to be turned to lock said arm in operative position (wherein it is adapted to actuate signaling means on a train in contact therewith), motors connected to said arm and said detent respectively, each of said motors having two sets of windings adapted to cause rotation in opposite directions, and means adapted to be caused by the turning ofsaid detent from the locking position to cause current to flow throu h the motor of said arm so as to move sai arm into inoperative position, and also to be caused by the moving of said arm into operative position to cause current to flow through the motor controlling said detent so as to effect the movement of said detent into the locking position.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

ARTHUR REGINALD ANGUS.

Witnesses:

PERCY NEWELL, M. J. CANDRICK.

five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents,

Washington, D. C. 

